Chapter 39: Neural Synchronization
Where did Sister go?
The moment she woke up and found her sister gone, Lin Jiayao pressed her fingernail against the headboard and activated Bone Spike Lurker.
“Mm… yes, a brand new wheelchair from the hospital… 3g of blood crystals is the most I can offer… Do you think I don’t know that place? The Biters have been cleared out…”
“Less chit-chat, more action… I want to see it before nightfall…”
Hearing her sister’s voice at the door, Lin Jiayao was relieved.
It seemed her sister was talking to someone, hiring them to fetch a wheelchair from the hospital.
Important locations like hospitals, with valuable medical supplies, would have been swept clean by Awakened from various camps. They were considered the safest places.
3g of blood crystals was just a courier fee.
Since her sister was right outside and there was no danger, Lin Jiayao sat up and looked at the system’s evolution options.
「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Bone Skin Lv.2 (Gray): Hardens your skin, granting some defense】」
「2、【Bone Spike Lurker Lv.3 (Gray): Increases Lurker precision, can simulate terrain by emitting vibrations, 50m range】」
「3、【Neural Synchronization Lv.1 (Gold): Allows temporary access to all abilities of the controlled body, but renders the body unusable afterward, duration 30s】」
The moment the third option appeared, Lin Jiayao chose gold without hesitation.
Unlike the fungal tendrils, this one didn’t have any prerequisites. Choose gold; it sounded powerful.
If she controlled a special mutated zombie or an Awakened, she could briefly utilize their full abilities.
Combined with [Blood Rage], she could unleash power far exceeding that of the controlled body for a short period, a powerful combo move.
Most importantly, [Neural Synchronization] didn’t have any side effects on her main body, unlike [Blood Rage]. No wonder it was gold.
A game-changing evolution if used correctly.
Having already undergone multiple bone-related evolutions, Lin Jiayao didn’t feel any discomfort this time.
She felt that her bone spikes could now extend incredibly thin, almost invisible filaments, as soft as fluff.
When controlling a body, these filaments would also connect, granting her access to all of the host’s abilities for a short time.
Now she could not only take over bodies, but also directly use the abilities they had painstakingly evolved.
Retracting the bone spike from her fingertip, Lin Jiayao looked towards the door.
She had heard the conversation outside end before turning off Lurker hearing; her sister would be back soon.
As expected, a moment later, the doorknob turned.
Her sister, no longer the formidable figure she was with other explorers, entered cautiously, as if afraid to disturb her.
After quietly closing the door, Lin Xiwan turned towards the bed.
“Uh… Yaoyao, you’re awake. Was I too loud?” Seeing Lin Jiayao’s gaze, she abandoned her quiet approach and jumped onto the bed.
With others, her sister was mature and composed, an ice queen. But with her, she was always playful and unguarded.
As if Lin Jiayao were the older sister.
“I was startled when I woke up and didn’t see you,” Lin Jiayao said with a smile, expressing her true feelings.
“Mm… I went to take care of some things, exchanged some information with an acquaintance, and also bought you a new ride. It should be delivered before nightfall.”
Lin Xiwan was vague, not specifying what she had been doing.
Lin Jiayao could sense her sister’s evasiveness, likely hiding something unpleasant.
But with a little deduction, she could guess what was bothering her sister.
Her sister didn’t have any enemies in the camp. If she wasn’t worried about buying a vehicle, then it could only be one thing.
The Blood Gang.
The Blood Gang was just one of many gangs in Yangzhou City. Their members weren’t all in this camp, though the resort camp had a large concentration of them.
To these gangs, camps were like pre-apocalypse hotels, places to temporarily rest and trade supplies.
Generally, camps avoided conflict with gangs, as they were all desperate criminals.
They could roam freely, while the camps were stationary targets.
If a conflict arose, these lunatics could blare music to attract hordes of zombies, enough to destroy a medium-sized camp.
So, as long as the gangs didn’t cause trouble within the camp, the camp management turned a blind eye, treating them as ordinary residents – after all, they regularly paid blood crystals.
But recently, this harmony had been disrupted.
Because the camp was preparing to relocate.
The gangs wouldn’t participate; they wouldn’t risk their lives for the camp members. If they didn’t actively sabotage the relocation, it would be a miracle.
Lin Jiayao wasn’t sure what exactly had happened.
But she could guess that the Blood Gang would be leaving the resort camp soon.
Leaving…
Lin Jiayao frowned slightly. This wasn’t good news.
If they left, disappearing into the city or driving onto the highway, how would she find them?
If she couldn’t find them, how could she avenge Grandma Zhang?
No, she had to find a way to eliminate them before they left.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Seeing her sister frown, Lin Xiwan stroked her head with concern.
“No, just a little dizzy from sleeping,” Lin Jiayao shook her head, then sat up and looked at her sister. “Sister, take me with you tonight when you go shopping.”
“Hmm? You want to go out?” Lin Xiwan was surprised. Her sister had always avoided going outside.
Lin Xiwan knew that her sister had confined herself to her room to avoid being a burden.
After all, her sister’s face attracted too much unwanted attention.
“We’re leaving soon anyway,” Lin Jiayao said with a smile. “I want to see what the camp looks like.”
Lin Jiayao’s main goal was to encounter a few Blood Gang members at night and infect them with spores to mark them.
If they were all there, even better; it would save her the trouble of searching for them individually.
“Okay, sure.” Hearing her sister’s words, Lin Xiwan’s heart ached. She agreed immediately.
Since carrying her sister to the camp four years ago, Lin Jiayao had never left their room.
Fortunately, the camp leader, Wang Yi, was dedicated to the camp’s well-being and had taken good care of them after learning she was an Awakened.
Of course, if they were no longer useful to his camp, Wang Yi wouldn’t hesitate to abandon them.
She couldn’t fault him for being pragmatic. It was just the nature of survival in this world.
Surviving this long was a matter of luck for both of them. But anyone who had lived for five years in the apocalypse had to have some luck.
The truly unlucky ones had long become wandering zombies.
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